Ostentatious Zhao Yao

Ostentatious Zhao Yao by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang

《招摇》 作者: 九鹭非香

Ch 33

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Returning to Chen Ji Mountain, I brought Mo Qing and Sima Rong straight to Gu Han Guang’s place.

Having just set foot into the courtyard, Gu Han Guang came out bundled in a snow mink fur cloak; his super small image, sleepy face, hazy eyes, and disheveled hair, at first glance, made him look quite lovable. But when his eyes landed on the faces of Sima Rong and Mo Qing, the haziness in his eyes sharpened slightly, he furrowed his brows, and asked: “What is this?”

Mo Qing said: “Treat his injuries.”

Gu Han Guang answered with a question: “Treat him?”

“Treat him,” his tone firm. Gu Han Guang pursed his lips and went back into his room to get the golden needles.

I looked at Mo Qing’s back, his spine was still ramrod straight, if not for the slightly pale color of his lips, then it was impossible to see that he was different than usual.

I said to Mo Qing: “Master, previously in Feng Zhou City at Sima Rong’s small residence, it seems that I dropped some things, I’ll go back and see, and after a while, I’ll return.” I did not give Mo Qing a chance to ask anything else and used Instant Travel to depart.

I knew that if I was standing there now, Mo Qing would not let Gu Han Guang treat his injuries. He wanted to hide the extent of his injuries from me… He did not want to let me know that he got injured because he went to get the sword; he probably did not feel at ease and feared that I would seize the sword.

I landed in Sima Rong’s small residence, I saw the spectators in the alley outside had all dispersed and inside the house the Dark Guards were lighting the lanterns, cleaning up, and repairing things. When they saw me, they all bowed their heads in greeting but did not say much and just minded their own business. I went to the rear courtyard and hid Zhi Yan’s body in the wood storage room. As my soul flew out, I saw that the volatile aura in the courtyard was still growing denser.

But that Small Round Face was already no longer on top of the wall, I circled once in the courtyard looking for her, and finally, I went into the main room. Upon entering, I saw Small Round Face sitting in Sima Rong’s wheelchair, hugging her legs, and burying her face into her knees. Her aura of resentment overflowed like black clouds: “Give back to me… Give him back to me.” She kept repeating this mantra.

“Sima Rong has been rescued.”

As soon as I said this, she immediately turned her head to look at me and I was shocked by her appearance. Her black hair scattered like those auras of resentment that had its own entity, her face covered with metallic bloody tears, her eyes were pitch-black where the whites could not be seen, her complexion was deathly pale, her lips were bluish-black, and her hands wrapped around her knees grew long black fingernails. Her appearance was terribly frightening.

I kept my state of mind under control and as calmly as possible told her: “He has been rescued, but his body is a little unwell, so he’s at Chen Ji Mountain resting. When it’s daybreak, he’ll be back.”

Hearing these words, Little Round Face’s pitch-black eyes gradually withdrew and slowly restored like an ordinary person: “When it’s daybreak, he’ll be back?” 

“Mhm, he’ll be back when it’s daybreak, just wait for another shichen, which should be enough.”

* shichen – two-hour period

“Wait for another shichen…” She looked outside at the color of the sky and buried her face into her knees once again, “I’ll wait, A Rong, I’ll wait for you.”

After soothing over the matter on this side, I hurriedly entered Zhi Yan’s body in order to prevent suspicion from the Dark Guards and left the courtyard. Thinking that Gu Han Guang perhaps still needed to replace Mo Qing’s medicine and rebandage him for a little while longer, therefore, I did not rush back.

I went back into the main room and helped pick up some scattered papers on the ground but saw drawn on the paper were crooked and twisted symbols. Unexpectedly, it was a rune that I had never seen before. It was neither celestial nor demonic but it did vaguely emanate some evil influences. Was it a new game for young people today?

I found a Dark Guard to ask: “What’s the background of the kidnappers, have you found out yet?”

“To answer, miss, it was possibly people from an influential celestial sect but their fighting style was strange, so it was unclear which sect it came from. Also, it was still currently unknown who was the main person that orchestrated it.”

I nodded and showed him the paper in my hand: “Do you recognize this rune?”

The Dark Guard shook his head.

I dismissed him and stayed in the room to look around for a little bit more. I found a few more papers drawn with the same type of runes. I suspected that if I were to ask Small Round Face in her current physiological condition, I would still be unable to find any explanations. So I should just go back to Chen Ji Mountain and ask Sima Rong directly. 

I lifted my head to look at the color of the sky, daybreak was near. There was no time to delay outside, I used Instant Travel to get to Gu Han Guang’s residence but I stood outside not in a hurry to go in. I arrived at the doorway and heard Sima Rong talking inside. Probably his injuries were all nearly treated, so he had time to chat. 

Then I pushed the door in. Right at that moment, Sima Rong said: “…It ought to be someone in the celestial sect.”

Gu Han Guang glanced at me; it was obvious that he felt that this kind of situation was unsuitable for a former celestial disciple like me to appear. But saw that Mo Qing and Sima Rong both did not say anything, so he was also silent and did not speak.

I glimpsed over at Mo Qing and under the candlelight, his complexion was slightly better than before. Then I turned my head to continue listening to Sima Rong talk, “I heard snippets of their conversation, they probably misunderstood that I have the Dead Resurrection Technique.”

As a god doctor, Gu Han Guang produced a contemptuous sneer: “Dead Resurrection Technique?”

Sima Rong smiled helplessly: “In the past few years that I have lived in Feng Zhou City, I have built a few vivid and realistic wooden people. So some people circulated that I can hide an almost dying person’s soul inside the block of wood, thereby, achieve the resurrection of the dead. Although… At first, I did have this kind of plan.”

The room was quiet for a while.

“Is it these things?” I handed the papers in my hand to Sima Rong, “The method that you planned to use to resurrect the dead.” 

Sima Rong glanced at it and smiled bitterly: “Yes. Those people came to find me surely because of these rumored forbidden techniques. That year, I still had Yue Zhu’s body around but then later, I found out that there’s absolutely no magical technique that can resurrect the dead in this world. If there is, then I presume that people like us are unable to touch it.”

I did not speak.

“At the beginning, I was not willing to resign myself and no matter what, I wanted to find a method that would atone and revert what happened. But afterwards, I finally accepted it. I wanted to get her back, but she… Probably no longer wanted to stay by my side. Or maybe she has now started a new life, thinking like that, I immediately buried her body. After a while, I was finally able to let go.” Sima Rong looked at me, “After that, no matter what happens that will make my heart rise in great waves again, I still don’t want to disturb her anymore.”

I was silent for a while and resolutely told him: “You can burn paper offerings for her.”

Sima Rong broke into a smile: “Okay.” He transferred his gaze to Gu Han Guang: “Han Guang, I have to inconvenience you to send me back to Feng Zhou City.”

Gu Han Guang raised his eyebrows: “So eager to go back?”

“I dare not stay too long in Chen Ji Mountain.”

Gu Han Guang was silent for a moment, then without any words, he sent Sima Rong on his way.

At this moment, I moved my gaze to Mo Qing’s face and asked him: “Master, why does West Mountain Lord not dare to stay long in Chen Ji Mountain?”

“He believes that it was his fault that the previous Sect Leader died. After he helped me stabilize Wan Lu Sect’s affairs, he immediately left Chen Ji Mountain, and from then on, he hasn’t returned to the mountain.”

“Oh.” I rolled my eyeballs and politely said, “West Mountain Lord treats you very well.”

Mo Qing shot a glance at me: “He’s my fellow junior brother.”

I was silent: “Ha?”

[What, there’s actually something like this, too? How did I not know?]

Ah, if I thought about it, it was also a possibility… At that time, after I picked up Mo Qing, I always took him with me; then I established Wan Lu Sect, and then aimlessly chose a master for him. Afterwards, I once again picked up Sima Rong, and then once again aimlessly chose a master for him…

It turned out that the master that I aimlessly chose for them was unexpectedly the same person!

No wonder their feelings were so good. This could also be considered their predetermined fate bestowed upon by me. 

But it was strange, after Sima Rong obviously climbed the ranks up to the position of West Mountain Lord, he and Mo Qing were very close, why did he not put out a helping hand to pull Mo Qing up? Although that year, Mo Qing’s body had the seals directed against the Demon King’s son, to the extent that it left greenish-black scars on his face and made it hard for him to cultivate, where he could only be considered as an ordinary hardworking demon cultivator. But if West Mountain Lord had the intention to promote him higher, then he could have casually appointed him a leisurely position; it would not even be a problem at all. 

Compared to guarding the mountain gate, it would have been suitably much more relaxing! If it was known that the area where the spring breeze blew and wild farmland grew of the present was precisely the location where the mountain gate of the past had…

A spell formation before the gate that alternated between two extremes, chillingly cold and blazingly hot; it created a very poor quality environment that not even a blade of grass could grow.

Based on Sima Rong’s temperament, he assisted Mo Qing to become Wan Lu Sect Leader, so that year, why did he not stay to help him…

Or was it that Mo Qing himself was not willing to leave?

Before I could even ask, Mo Qing glanced outside at the color of the sky and said: “Let’s return. Tonight was tiring, must rest really well.”

He tugged me and used Instant Travel back to Wu E Hall; when he turned his body to walk away, I hastily held him back: “Master.” I gazed at him and pausingly said each word, “You also have to rest well.”

Mo Qing stared blankly and his eyes softened: “I know.”

Returning to Zhuo Chen Hall, waiting for me standing in the middle of the hall was a very furious Zhi Yan. She pointed at my nose and shouted: “Lu Zhao Yao! You’re too much! How can you leave me alone? If I was unfortunate…”

I flung her body on the bed, rolled to the side, and then out of her body. I leaned sideways and waved my hand weakly: “Don’t make any more noise; I want to sleep for a bit while you go meditate properly for me.” Speaking of this, I suddenly remembered that Mo Qing had told me before to go find him and get another Nine Reversal Original Pill. In these past few days, I was busy doing other things, so I had forgotten about this. I turned my head to look at Zhi Yan, “You’re going to go find Li Chen Lan…”

I paused for a moment: “Forget it; I can still go find him tomorrow.”

I did say that I wanted him to get properly rested.

But… Why should I have to let him rest well! Obviously, the more tired he was, the more injured he was, the more he was unlikely to recover, the more advantageous it would be for me!

I sat up, solemnly stared at Zhi Yan, and said: “No, how about you…” I clenched my teeth and in the end, only uttered these two words, “Forget it.” Once again, I laid back down on the bed and for the first time, I felt my soul surprisingly could have such a moment of extreme exhaustion.

Zhi Yan whispered beside me, “Lu Zhao Yao, why’d you change your mind? Where’d you go last night? Seriously, why did you not come pick me up? I waited a long time for you!”

I did not acknowledge her and her wind-blowing-bird-chirping voice became the background noise in my world. My mind was filled with the scene from before, under the elements in Ling Ting Mountain, that moment when Mo Qing held my hand…

I suddenly sat up from the bed once again.

Zhi Yan was heart-stoppingly startled: “You… You want to do wh…”

“I’m going to the ghost market!”

Zhi Yan was stupefied: “The sky is brightening soon…”

“I can glide myself there. You meditate properly, and then in the afternoon, go burn paper offerings for me. You’re not allowed to be lazy!”

Zhi Yan blinked for a moment, and then her eyes followed behind me: “I only used a few words to criticize you but I really don’t blame you. You don’t need to punish yourself like this because of me…”

I leered at her: “I bullied you and haven’t even gotten the chance to laugh yet, why would I punish myself?” I said it boldly and confidently that left Zhi Yan speechless, “I’m only giving myself something to do. You stay here.”

I left behind a speechless Zhi Yan and glided out of Zhuo Chen Hall, but could not help myself and went towards Mo Qing’s sleeping hall. I saw that he was actually sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, meditating, resting, and adjusting his aura. I quirked up the corners of my lips and turned around to float to the ghost market.

I went to inquire about some information about the Dead Resurrection Technique that Sima Rong mentioned, in the end, was there such a possibility, and on Ling Ting Mountain, those dead celestial sect disciples that kidnapped Sima Rong, in the end, what were their backgrounds.